The Stresses of the White Female Worker in the Civil Rights Movement in the South

The white female participant in the civil rights movement in the South is subject to unique and unanticipated stresses. Although she is prepared for a negative reaction on the part of the local white community, the ambivalence with which she is received by local Negroes and co-workers may lead to frustration and confusion. Some of these women are able to cope effectively with their frustrations; others, aggravated by personal fantasies about their mission in civil rights, succumb to the pressures upon them and find it necessary to return home.